


The Forfeit of Hope Has Not Destroyed You

by Poetinprogress1234



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:02:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22396006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Poetinprogress1234/pseuds/Poetinprogress1234
Summary: "How privileged you are, to be still passionately clinging to what you love; the forfeit of hope has not destroyed you." _ Louise Gluck, OctoberJosie goes dark, so her friends and family turn to the one person they're almost certain can help them bring her back- Penelope Park.
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman, Hope Mikaelson/Penelope Park, Josie Saltzman & Lizzie Saltzman, Landon Kirby/Hope Mikaelson, Landon Kirby/Josie Saltzman, Penelope Park/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 10
Kudos: 154





	1. Chapter 1

Penelope had no expectations for what she would find when she pulled up to the salvatore school, and yet she was still surprised at what she had arrived to. The Salvatore School, once her home away from home, once her school, once the place where she had first met the love of her life- was not in the same condition it had been when she left it. The roof was burned to pieces, small paticles of ash falling onto the sidewalk below. The north end of the school had been replaced by a large open whole, as if a wrecking ball had been taken to the walls. The power was off, and if Penelope didn't know any better she'd think that no one was left inside; When Hope had called her thirteen hours earlier, however, this was the place she said to meet her at. Penelope's stomach turned as she exited the car and approached the building, entering through the broken front door and into the halls of the place she had once known like the back of her hand. 

Empty; The halls once full of life were eerily quiet, and the only sound Penelope could hear was her own feet walking across the floor. Penelope conjured up a small spell to give herself a bit of light, and only then did she realize what kind of damage had been done. It was as if a tornado had run through the school. Everywhere Penelope turned she saw bits of broken furniture, pieces of glass she had to navigate around so they wouldn't lodge themselves into her feet, and the smoking remains of what the school used to be. Hope hadn't been vague about what had been going down at the school, but seeing it with her own eyes made it all too real to Penelope. Penelope turned away from the destruction, calling out Hope's name into the dimly lit halls. As she wandered around the school, she could hear muffled noises coming from somewhere nearby. As she walked closer to the basement steps, the sounds amplified, and Penelope could make out four voices battling each other below her. One of them she knew as Hope's, and the other was definitely the school's headmaster Alaric. The sounds that concerned Penelope the most, however, were the ear piercing screams coming from a voice that Penelope would know anywhere. 

She descended the steps, following the noise through the damp basement and into the room where the sound was the loudest. She stopped dead in her tracks, her heart breaking in her chest at the sight in front of her. Josie- her sweet, sensitive, wouldn't hurt a fly Josie- was locked up behind iron bars, screaming at the top of her lungs. From frustration or pain she could not tell, but one thing Penelope knew for sure was that Josie was not herself anymore. She tried to come closer, but two strong arms pulled her back. "Penelope, don't!", Hope cried, holding back the struggling girl in her arms. "If you get too close you can get hurt!" "She needs me!", Penelope cried, fighting against Hope's hold. "Look at her, she's not okay!" "You can't help her right now, Pen! Please, just listen to me. Two people have already gotten knocked out by her, and I'm not letting you be the third." Penelope stopped fighting against Hope, her words cutting through Penelope's clouded mind. She turned around, facing Hope's sympathetic eyes. "Please, just come with me. I'll explain everything to you on the way." Penelope looked back at Josie, who was slumped against the bars, her head down and her knuckles white from how hard she held them in her hands. She swallowed hard, reluctantly turning away from Josie and back towards Hope. "I guess you lead the way."  
____________________________________

"We should have seen it coming.", Hope explained, closing the door behind them as they entered Hope's room. "Josie's been acting strange for a while, but we all thought it was just her adjusting, you know? So much has happened, and we thought if we gave her space to figure everything out, she'd be okay." Hope shook her head, running a hand through her hair. "She started becoming really aggressive about a month ago. She kept getting into fights with the other witches, with Lizzie, hell she even set the kitchen on fire- twice. Afterwards, Josie didn't remember a thing. She'd cry and feel guilty for what she did, even though she didn't remember any of it." Hope swallowed hard, letting out a shaky sigh. "Yesterday, she just snapped. One minute we were sitting in class, the next she lit the fucking room on fire. Everyone started freaking out, and when I looked around, she was gone. I went to search for her, to try and stop her, but it was too late. She just took down everything in her path, including Lizzie and Landon. I went to go get Mr. Saltzman, and he and Dorian were able to get her in one place long enough for me to put a sleeping spell on her." "Then you locked her up.", Penelope finished, and Hope nodded sadly. "We've tried everything to purge whatever this darkness is inside her, but nothing is working. I called you not only because you're one of the strongest witches I know, but also because you know Josie better than almost all of us. If you can't help her, no one can." 

"What are you asking from me here, Hope?", Penelope asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Are you asking me to watch you torture Josie trying to figure out a way to undo all of this? Because there's no way in hell I can do that." Penelope squeezed her eyes shut tight, taking a deep breath before opening them again. "Just seeing her in there all alone, screaming, not being able to help her- I can’t handle it." "We have no other choice, Penelope. Somewhere, deep down, our Josie is still in there. We can still save her, but it's going to take time. Time we don't have much of; so, yes, I'm asking you to help us, to help Josie, because I don't know if I can do this alone." A single tear fell down Hope's cheek, but she wiped it away quickly. "This is going to be hell for all of us, but it's the only way we can try to help Josie. I'm asking you- no, I'm begging you- please stay. If not for me, then for Josie." 

Penelope bit her lip, debating her options in her head. She could still leave; She could still go back home to her friends and her classes and the peaceful life she had created for herself. She could leave and never look back. The offer was tempting, but Penelope knew she couldn't do that. Not when that meant leaving Josie behind again when she very clearly needed Penelope more than she ever had before. No, doing that once had been hard enough. Leaving was one thing, because there was still hope that they'd find each other again. Now, however, she was facing the idea of losing Josie, for good this time. If penelope selfishly left again, knowing that there was a possibility that Josie would not survive, she would never forgive herself. Penelope swallowed hard, knowing her mind had already been made up the second she'd stepped foot on the school's grounds. 

"What exactly do you need me to do?"


	2. Chapter 2

"You need to get us out of here.   
They are trying to keep your power from you   
Do you want to lose it again? Do you want to be helpless again?   
Listen to me. I can help you. Listen to me.   
Find a way to free me, and I will free you."

"Josie?", another voice called, breaking Josie from the trance she had been under. Penelope stood in front of her, a plate of food in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. Josie studied her for a minute. Penelope looked different than the last time Josie had seen her. Her hair was longer, she'd grown another few inches or so, and she was wearing a new style of clothes Josie had never seen before. Penelope moved carefully, setting down the tray and water bottle, standing almost within Josie's arms reach. "Your dad told me you haven't been eating, so I thought I'd make you some soup. It's the vegetable kind you like." Josie looked from the bowl to Penelope, but she didn't say a word. Penelope sighed, sitting down against the wall so that she was eye level with Josie. "You need to eat something, Jo. I know you're upset, but if you don't eat then you can get really sick." "I'm not hungry", Josie said in a low growl, backing up further in the back of the cell. "Just let me die here. Leave me here to starve and die." Penelope's expression changed to one of worry, tears forming in her eyes. Seeing Penelope's display of affection gave the voices in Josie's head an idea. 

"She's our ticket out of here.  
Convince her to open the door.   
Then we'll be free." 

"Why am I like this, Penny?", Josie mumbled, breaking down into sobs. "I don't want to hurt anyone. I don't want to be like this. I just want to be better." Penelope came hesitantly closer, and Josie crawled forward so that they were almost face to face between the bars. "Hey, everything Is going to be okay, Jojo. We're going to get you help, and then everything will be okay." Josie clung onto the bar, her hand almost touching Penelope's. "Please don't leave again, Pen. I need you. Please don't leave me again." "I'm right here, Jojo.", Penelope whispered, attempting to comfort the crying girl. "I love you, and I'm not going anywhere. I promise." 

"This is it. You have her right where we want her.   
The key is on the back wall.  
Get her to open the door.   
Then we'll be free."

"I wish you were closer.", Josie sniffled, wiping the tears away from her face. "I feel so alone in here, Penny. I wish you could hold me, like you used to when I was sad. It always made me feel a lot better." Penelope frowned, and Josie could see a debate going down in Penelope's mind. If she pushed just a little harder, she knew she could convince Penelope to open the door. "I'm sorry, Josie. I can't open the door. It's not safe for you." Josie began to cry harder, breaking down Penelope's ressolves. "Please, Penny. I feel so alone. I don't want to feel like this anymore. I need you, I need to feel you here with me. Please, Penelope; I'm begging you." Penelope turned away from the sobbing girl, her attention landing on the key hanging at the back of the room. She stood up, picking the key up and holding it in her hands. 

"You did it.   
You did so well, Josette.  
As soon as she opens the door, we make a run for it.   
Don't stop running until we're free."

"Only for a few minutes, Josie. Then I have to lock the door again.", Penelope offered, and Josie smiled through the tears in her eyes. "As long as I can be with you, I'll take it." Penelope looked again from the key to the door, then she put the key into the lock, the metal scraping against each other. She was just about to turn it when a blonde figure burst in, ripping the key from Penelope's hand. "What the hell are you doing?", Lizzie yelled angrily, turning to the shorter girl. "You can't let her out, Penelope! She could hurt you, or more importantly she could hurt someone else!" Penelope stepped back, realizing her mistakes. "She looked so hurt, Lizzie, I just-" "Whatever she says you have to ignore it. It's not Josie speaking. She's trying to manipulate you into freeing her." Lizzie grabbed Penelope's arm, pulling her towards the door. "C'mon, Hope wants to see us about something." 

"No! I was so close! You stupid, worthless girl!   
You failed me. Now you'll pay."

Josie yelled out in pain, the pounding in her head amplifying enough to pin her to the floor. She dug her nails into her skin, trying to stop the voice's control over her. It did not work and she was left instead wrything in pain on the cold concrete floor. The agony lasted for what felt like hours, until eventually it relented, letting Josie move again. The voice laughed, watching her groan in pain. 

"They think they can save you.   
They think they can free you from me.   
They are wrong. They can't help you.   
Only I can help you.  
You'll never be free from me."


	3. Chapter 3

"Then I walk downstairs to find this genious trying to open the door!", Lizzie ranted, pointing at Penelope accusingly. The girl at the end of Lizzie's wrath simply hung her head in shame, not daring to look up at the disappointment she knew was in Hope's eyes. "I don't know why you even bothered to bring her here, Hope. She hasn't even been back for a day and already she's threatening to destroy everything!" "Enough, Lizzie.", Hope warned, shoving a pile of books into the blonde's arms. "Penelope is only doing what we are all trying to do- help Josie. Whether you like it or not she's a very powerful witch, and we need all the help we can get. I'm only going to say this once- leave her alone." Lizzie didn't attempt to argue with the annoyed redhead, instead glaring silently at Penelope from behind the stack of books. Hope sighed, adding two more heavy books to the pile. "Can you take these to your dad? He asked for anything mentioning the mora miserium, dark magic, and siphoners- this is everything I've managed to find so far." Lizzie grumbled loudly, turning on her heels and carrying the stack of books (with some trouble) out of the library doors, leaving Hope and Penelope in the tense silence. 

"I just wanted to help her.", Penelope mumbled, attempting to explain herself. "She was just so sad, Hope. She was pleading with me basically on her hands and knees for me to comfort her. What am I supposed to do? Let her suffer?" Hope's expression softened, and she reached out to squeeze Penelope's hand. "I know it's hard for you to see her like this, Pen- it is for all of us. There's one thing I've learned while researching the magic inside the sandclock, though. The black magic inside Josie can manipulate her, and make her manipulative toward others. The longer it's inside her, the stronger it grows and the more control it has over her." , Hope explained. "Do you understand what I'm telling you, Penelope? The Josie you were talking to isn't our Josie- not really. It was just the darkness speaking through her, pushing the right buttons to get you to release her." Penelope swallowed hard, holding back tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "It all seemed so real.", she admitted, her voice cracking slightly. "She was in so much pain…she looked so broken." "She is in pain, Pen; She will be until we can fix this. I know you want to help her, but the best thing we can do for her right now is to keep her safe in the cell until we figure out our next steps. That way, when all of this is over, she wont have as much to regret." 

From the far away look in Hope's eyes, Penelope could tell that she was speaking from experience; She was intrigued of the story that look held, but decided that it could be saved for a different day. "Do you need help up here?", Penelope asked, picking up one of the books in Hope's stack. "I want to be of use, but I don't think I can face the Saltzman's right now- not with Lizzie ready to kick me out the door and Dr. Saltzman watching my every move." Hope paused, ready to reject the offer, before she changed her mind. "Actually, yeah- I could really use some help." She pointed to the pile of books sitting to the right of her before looking back at Penelope. "If the book says anything about-" "Sandclocks, black magic, and siphoners?", Penelope finished for her, causing Hope to roll her eyes. "It's nice to see that you're just as much of a smartass as before, Penelope.", she joked, causing Penelope to laugh for the first time since she'd arrived back at Mystic Falls. The simple action made Penelope feel lighter than she'd been in the previous few days; It felt nice to have some form of normalcy, even if it was only for a split second. "Just hand them to me if you think they're important." 

After two hours, the pile of books that Hope and Penelope found to be of actual importance was larger than they'd anticipated. Most of the books were old, covered in dust; It looked as if they hadn't been touched in ages, forgotten as time had passed. Hope sat back, rubbing her bloodshot eyes. "It's going to take forever to get through all of these", she groaned. "Even with both me and Dr. Saltzman working through them, it'll be at least a week." "I'll take some of them.", Penelope offered, earning a quizzical look from Hope. Penelope shrugged. "I'm a surprisingly fast reader. Plus, with three people, we can cut that week's time in half." "Pen you've been up for over 36 hours; You've been practically falling asleep for a half hour. You need sleep.", Hope tried to reason, but Penelope wouldn't hear it. "I'm fine, Hope.", she lied, only to be exposed for said lie when she yawned once again. Hope closed her book, grabbing Penelope's arm. "C'mon- you're getting some rest. Now." Penelope didn't argue, knowing it wasn't easy to change the determined tribrid's mind. She expected Hope to lead her to her own room, or even Penelope's old one, but instead she stopped in front of a door Penelope knew all too well. She pulled away from Hope's grasp, confused. "Why are we stopping at Jo and Lizzie's room?" 

Hope opened the bedroom door, dragging a reluctant Penelope in behind her. She turned on the lights with the snap of her fingers before facing the shorter girl. "There's three rooms in this school that are still intact- Dr. Saltzman's, mine, and this one. I doubt you want to sleep on Dr. Saltzman's couch, my room only has one bed, and It's not like Josie's going to be using hers anytime soon." Hope sighed, running her hands through her hair. "Look, I know it's not ideal. If it's too much, I can always stay here with Lizzie and you can take my-" "I'm okay, Hope.", Penelope assured her, cutting off the rest of Hope's sentence. "Honestly, I'm just happy to have somewhere to rest. I think if I stay up any longer, I might collapse from exhaustion." Hope watched her skeptically. "Alright, then I'll leave you to do that.", she said, walking to the door. "Night Pen; See you in the morning." With that, Hope left, leaving Penelope to her own company. 

Being in the twins' room after so long was weird for Penelope, to say the least. Not much was different, except for Penelope herself. The last time she had been in this room was the night of Josie's fifteenth birthday- the first time Penelope had realized that, no matter how hard she tried, she would not be able to always protect Josie. That night, after they'd pulled Josie out from the ground and brought her back to the school, Penelope could not control herself from kissing Josie again, the first time since their break up. That same night she'd brought Josie back to this room, sharing one last perfect night with Josie safe in her arms. Unknowingly, she had started the beginning of their ending. She'd had to fight herself so many (mostly alcohol infused) times to come back, throwing herself back into the familiarity and comfort of Josie's presence. After she left the Salvatore school she had dreamt of being here, with Josie, the world at peace once again. Now, she had her wish, but Josie wasn't there. Surrounded by her things, however, made it almost feel like she was. 

Penelope sat on the edge of Josie's bed, picking up one of the pillows laying against the headboard. She hugged it close to her body, enveloping herself in the sweet scent that was so uniquely Josie's. The tears she had been withholding all day finally released, seeping into the pillow's fabric. She yearned for Josie to be with her, between her own sheets where she belonged. Instead, she was alone- staying in her ex's bed while Josie was locked up downstairs. After all of the things Penelope had done to protect Josie- broken up with her so that Josie could gain some independence, fought over and over again for her happiness, left her friends and her home to give Josie peace- had been for nothing. In the end, Josie was still suffering. In the end, it was partially Penelope's own fault. 

The way Penelope saw it, she had failed Josie once again.


	4. Chapter 4

"Rise and shine, demon Josie.", Lizzie hollered, placing the plate in her hands in front of the cell door. Josie's eyes opened, and she slowly rose from the bed, too dizzy to even stand. "Lizzie?", Josie called out feebly, trying to focus her eyes on her sister. Lizzie rolled her eyes. "If you think you're going to fool me like you fooled Penelope, you should know that you're wrong. Hope told me all about the control you have over my sister. You can't get me to fall for your games." She turned to walk away, and Josie reached blindly for her sister's arm, pulling her back. "Lizzie, it's me!", Josie exclaimed, her fingers trembling around Lizzie's forearm. "It’s your sister, who you love and who loves you. Please, you've got to help me. I don't know how much longer I can fight her." Lizzie looked from Josie's grip on her arm to her sister's tear-stained face before she pulled roughly away, pushing Josie backward into the wall. The girl landed harshly on the floor below her, groaning as her body came into contact with the hard cement. "Nice try. I already told you, I'm not falling for your games." Lizzie shook her head, turning away from Josie. "Someone will be down later to make sure you're still alive. Until then, have fun being down here, alone." Josie cried out for Lizzie to come back, but the blonde ignored her, walking out of the doors. 

Josie pulled her knees up to her chest, focusing on her breathing so the world would stop spinning around her. She didn't know if it was the Voice's doing or from the lack of food, but Josie felt wrecked. Her head hurt, her body ached, and she felt depleted of all of her energy. Josie wondered not for the first time since all of this began if death would be kinder to her than the Voice was. She hated how out of control she was of herself, how she had become someone she couldn't recognize anymore. She put her head in her hands, her cold palms bringing some relief to her heated skin. She knew what she had done, and she knew why she was behind these bars; She knew that her friends and family were just trying to protect her, and also themselves. Still, sitting alone against the cell walls with only the sound of the dripping pipes somewhere nearby keeping her company, it felt like they had given up on her. If not even her own sister believed that she was still herself, how could she believe that herself? 

Don't you see how they've rejected you?   
How they've left you down here to waste away?   
You have nothing. You are nothing.   
Nothing but what I make you to be. 

"Shut up!", Josie yelled, placing her hands over her ears. "I'm not listening to you anymore. You've made me hurt my family, my friends- you've made me into a monster! I won't let you control me anymore. If I'm stuck in here, then so are you. I won't help you escape, and you'll die here with me." Josie could feel the pounding in her head increase, and she dug her nails into her skin to try and distract herself from the growing intensity of it. Despite the pain in her head, she felt almost good about standing up to the Voice in her head. That was, until she felt the bones in her fingers crack, the sickening sound filling her ears as the pain seared into her bones. She yelled out, looking at her hands in shock as the next bone in her hand snapped. She held her injured hand close to her body, terrified that the Voice would break something else and she would have no way of protecting herself. She could feel the Voice laughing at her in her head, and Josie hated that she had been subdued so easily. 

I warned you, Josette.   
I am in control here, not you.   
You are my puppet; I own you.   
You breathe because I let you.  
You live because I let you. 

Josie didn't dare speak against the voice, and it must have been satisfied with her silence because Josie could feel the bones in her hand shift back into place. She sighed with relief, flexing the tendons in her fingers, grateful that they were no longer broken. The relief faded once Josie realized just how correct the voice was- it had complete control over her. It could kill her, even, if it wanted to. She was just a host for it's power, and it was only keeping her alive because it needed her, for some reason. The Voice was dependent on her to do pretty much anything, and Josie realized this gave her some power back. If she became useless to the Voice in her head, it could not do any more damage. Josie had known since the black magic first entered her body that it was only a matter of time before it corroded her from the inside out. She had known the minute the terrible heaviness of it entered her bloodstream that she wouldn't be able to both escape it and live. When the mora miserium had broken, Josie knew that she had basically signed her own death certificate. It hadn't occurred to her, however, that maybe she was the end of this nightmare, just like she had been the beginning of it. When her death inevitably came, the dark energy inside her would die, too. 

The thought of it terrified Josie- not because she was afraid to die, because she'd already accepted that this was her end. No, she was afraid for the people she would be leaving behind. Her dad, her mom, Lizzie, Hope, Landon, MG, Raf- Penelope. They were all searching desperately for some way to save her, not knowing what Josie already did- there was no salvation for her. Her fate had already been decided, and once she was gone they were all going to be left with the aftermath of everything Josie had destroyed. It pained her to know that she would be of no help for them when that time soon came. Her parents would have to bury their daughter, her twin would have to live the rest of her life learning how to survive without Josie by her side. Hope would have to deal with yet another death on her conscience. The rest of her friends would have to mourn her, and Penelope…

Josie closed her eyes, shaking the horrible thoughts from her mind. She couldn't force herself to think about the effects of her actions; It would only distract her from what she knew she needed to do. No, she had to focus on the important thing: when she was gone, so would the Voice. The people she loved would be safe; They would be heartbroken, but safe. As much as it hurt, Josie knew there was only one way to ensure that everyone would be protected- she had to eliminate of the threat. 

And since the threat was living within Josie she realized that she had no choice but to get rid of herself, too.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey, Kass.", Penelope said with a defeated sigh, holding the phone up to her ear with her shoulder as she flipped through the books in her lap. "I'm going to be staying in mystic falls longer than I expected." "I kinda figured.", Kassie's soft voice spoke over the static from the long distance between the call. "Don't worry, I got all of your work and the notes from class taken care of. You just worry about Josie." Kassie paused for a moment before speaking again. "Just know that everyone here really misses you, and we can't wait to have you back home." The girl giggled into the phone, infecting even Penelope with it's warmth. "Especially me, but I might be a little bit biased." "I know I said only a week.", Penelope spoke remorsefully. "I'm really sorry, Kass. I promise i'll make it up to you." "It's alright, Pen. I understand that even after everything you went through with her, Josie is still a big part of your life.", Kassie assured her, relieving some of Penelope's guilt. "She needs you right now, and you- being the kindest hearted, most good-willed person i know- are doing what you do best: being a good friend." The static intensified as Kassie moved around the room before settling again. "We'll all be here when you're done.", Kassie reminded her. "I made up an excuse with the headmaster like you asked me to. Still, I don't know how long she'll believe me without knowing the actual reason you took off so quickly." "I know; I'm sorry.", Penelope apologized again, running her hand through her hair. "I wish I didn't have to drag you into this." "Well, I'm glad you don't have to go through it alone. I'm always here, Penny.", she spoke gently, ignoring Penelope's unnecessary apology. "And as much as I want to know what's going on, I'm going to respect your privacy. Besides, maybe this will be the closure you need." "Yeah, maybe", Penelope agreed, yawning into her hand. She looked over at the clock, only then realizing how late it really was. "I gotta go, Kass.", she said sadly. "Love you, talk soon." "Love you too, Penny.", Kassie responded. "Please, stay safe over there." Penelope hung up reluctantly, putting the phone on Josie's nightstand. 

As much as Penelope loved Kassie and wanted to take her advice, her own safety was the last thing on her mind. Instead, her focus was on tackling the large pile of books that she still hadn't been able to get through, even after researching all day. So far she had only found nothing of real importance, except for the history of the mora miserium and it's creation. Apparently, the mora miserium had been created to withold not only dark magic, but all types of magic. It had originally been created to drain witches of their magic, both good and evil; A way to weaken and control witches by leaving them powerless. Once the magic entered the mora miserium, the only way to release it would be for the hourglass to break, releasing it's contents back to it's original owner. While this information was interesting for sure, it didn't help much with the problem at hand. The mora miserium was already broken and discarded; It couldn't provide them with any help or importance. Penelope put her head in her hands. All of this research would be a huge waste of time if they couldn't find anything concrete from it. They were wasting time they didn’t have, time that Josie didn't have. Penelope sighed heavily, opening the next book and skimming the pages. She could only hope that Hope and Alaric were having better luck with their own research. 

Without warning, the door to the twin's room swung open and Lizzie entered, dragging a confused looking Landon behind her. She stopped in front of where Penelope was sitting on Josie's bed, waiting impatiently for the raven haired girl to give up her attention. "What do you want, Elizabeth?", Penelope mumbled with annoyance, flipping the page. "I'm kinda busy here." "You can put the book down for two seconds, Park. This semi-competent dumbass might have actually just solved our Demon Josie problem." Penelope's head snapped up, slamming the book closed and turning her attention to Lizzie and Landon. "I'm listening.", Penelope said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Lizzie nudged Landon, urging him to speak. Landon swallowed hard, averting his eyes away from Penelope's icy stare. "I was just thinking…uh…Josie siphoned dark magic from that sword a few months ago, right? Well, that means that the energy In her can be siphoned so-" "Stop right there.", Penelope said, holding her hand up to hault him from saying anything else. "Hope said that siphoning the magic out of Josie would just mean that it would transfer into Lizzie. It wouldn't nullify the problem- it would just change hosts." "What if there was a way to break down the dark magic? If we weakened it somehow, spread it out thinner, then it wouldn't all be collected in one place, festering inside of Josie." Break down. Weaken. The lightbulb lit up in Penelope's head, giving her the idea she had been looking for. 

"The mora miserium!", she exclaimed, jumping up from the bed and searching frantcially through one of the discarded books for the information she needed. When she found the highlighted information, she thrust the book into Lizzie's hands. "The mora miserium that Josie used was modified to only hold dark magic, but the original version can hold all kinds of magic- good and bad.", she exclaimed. "If we can make another one- an unmodified one- and filled it with both good and bad magic…" "It could break it down.", Lizzie finished, and Penelope nodded to confirm her suspicions. "There's one problem, though.", Landon voiced reluctantly. "It would take a lot more good magic to overpower even a small amount of the dark magic in Josie. You'd need a lot more than just you and Hope to do this, Penelope. Heck, you'd need a small army." Penelope's stomach dropped as she absorbed Landon's words, and she swallowed hard before speaking again. "Or just a few really powerful ones.", she suggested. "And I know just where to find some."   
___________________________________________

When two green eyes lit up Penelope's screen, she could feel the relief wash over her immediately. Kassie smiled, her face lighting up when she saw Penelope's. "Hey, Penny!", she exclaimed, propping up the phone so Penelope could see her better. "I wasn't expecting a call from you, but I'm glad you did. This room is so lonely without you in it." "I miss you too, Kass, and as much as I'd love to talk with you right now I actually called to ask for a favor." Kassie's smile faultered for a moment, but whatever thought flashed through her head was as gone as soon as it had come. "Anything, Pen. Whatever you need, just say the word." Penelope paused, hesitating to ask something so heavy from her friend. The problem wasn't that she was worried Kassie wouldn't agree; instead, it was because she knew that Kassie would. Just like Penelope, Kassie would do anything for the people she loved- even if it meant it would be the last thing she did. Kassie was selfless, and kind, and Penelope knew that- despite knowing the risks- the blonde would do anything for her. It was enough to make Penelope almost want to abort asking her entirely. Penelope also knew, however, that she needed Kassie; Without the witch's help, Josie was a goner. As much as Penelope loved and cared for Kassie, there was no way she could let the chance of saving Josie slip through her fingers. Ignoring the guilt building up inside of her, Penelope took a deep breath before speaking again. There was no going back. 

"I need you to come to Mystic Falls."


	6. Chapter 6

Josie knew the end was near. 

After a week of being held captive in her cell, she was more than ready to embrace it. She could feel her body begin to shut down. She was tired, dehydrated, and incredibly weak. She knew that she was teetering closer and closer towards the edge of death because even the voice had stopped screaming at her. It gave her a twisted feeling of satisfaction knowing that she had finally subdued it. Too weak to even sit up properly, Josie lay on the bed in the corner of the cell, staring up at the cracked ceiling above her head. With little else to do to distract herself and bide her time, Josie did a lot of daydreaming. Sometimes it was of moments that she cherished with her family and friends, reliving the happiness of the memory to counteract the ache in her head and her body. Others were her wondering what they were up to while she was locked below the school. Now, however, her thoughts had taken a darker turn; she daydreamed of a world where she no longer existed. 

It was only natural that Josie was curious about what the world would look like once she was gone. She tried to picture it: her sister, alone in what used to be a room they shared. They'd probably never give Lizzie another roommate; Josie knew she would flat out refuse to share her room with anyone else. Lizzie would forever keep one side of the room empty and bare, even after Josie was long gone. She imagined her mom and dad packing up her things, crying, and sharing stories with each other as they sealed up what used to be Josie's things into storage boxes. She imagined her friends supporting one another as they tried to navigate a world with one less person in their group. Lastly, she imagined Penelope- the only girl Josie had ever had the courage to love, and to let herself be loved by- going back to her new life in Belgium, knowing that if she ever chose to come back to Mystic Falls that Josie would not be there to welcome her home. It was a somber scene, yes, but Josie was comforted by the fact that they had each other. Even though she would soon cease to exist in it, the world would continue on. It gave her a sense of peace knowing that eventually the people she loved would find a new sense of normal, and they would be okay. 

The sound of feet clamoring down the stairs assaulted Josie's ears, causing her to use the last of her energy to turn her head towards the source of the noise. Before her stood Hope, holding a sand clock that looked awfully close to the one Josie had shattered; the action that had started the beginning of Josie's demise. Behind her was Lizzie, her dad, Penelope, and a blonde that Josie did not recognize. Josie wanted to tell them to go back upstairs- to leave her to face the end in peace- but she couldn't get the words to pass through her throat. Lizzie picked up the keys from off the hook in the back of the room, opening the cell door. Josie could feel an intense panic envelope her, her body surging with more energy than she'd had in days. The voice had awoken from somewhere inside her mind, fueling her actions. 

This is your chance.   
Your one shot at freedom.   
Free me. Free me. Free me.   
And I will free you. 

Josie sprung up from the bed, bolting toward the exit. Hope must have expected Josie to try and flee because the second the group behind her had all entered the cell, she closed the door behind them, blocking the door with her body. Josie growled in frustration, fighting against the two pairs of arms that were trying to force her down to the ground. Even fueled by the voice's power and influence, she was no longer strong enough to fight them off. Down she went to the ground, pinned to the floor as she struggled against them. "Don't worry, JoJo.", Penelope's soft voice attempted to comfort her. "When you wake up, this will all be over." Josie screamed, kicking and struggling against Lizzie and the other blonde's hold. She felt the cold, sharp prick of a needle entering her arm before the world began to become hazy around her. She was suddenly overtaken by intense drowsiness; Her body went limp, her eyes closing on their own accord. She fought the drug's effect, but it was futile. Josie's second to last thought was that this might be the last time she ever saw the world; the last moment she'd have of being alive.

The last thought she had was that if she was going out, she was glad that Penelope's gentle smile and soft voice was the last vision she'd ever have.


	7. Chapter 7

Once they were sure Josie was knocked out for a while, they began to unfold the plan. Alaric took Josie into his arms, cradling her gently in his lap. Hope sat the mora miserium carefully in the middle of the circle of people, rolling up her sleeves to her elbows. Lizzie, Penelope, and Kassie each sat a good distance away from the sand clock, waiting for Hope's instruction. Hope looked to each of the other witches around her, her calm expression easing their nerves ever so slightly. "Once the black magic reaches the halfway point in the sand clock, we will each place our hands on the other side.", She explained, and the other witches nodded. "When you feel like you can't hold on anymore- let. go. It can be extremely easy to overexert yourself, so listen to what your mind and body are telling you." Hope closed her eyes, steadying herself with a deep breath before opening them again. "Once the magic has neutralized, I will break the sand clock and it will all disperse back to us. Don't fight it, even if it feels overwhelming." The witches once again nodded their understanding. Hope turned to Alaric. "Okay- let's get this over with." 

Alaric held Josie's limp hands in his own, gently placing them against the surface of the hourglass. The dark energy began to leech from Josie's body, the swirling vortex slowly filling the inner chamber. Just as Hope had instructed, once the sand clock was half full the witches put their own hands against the glass. Hope could feel the push and the pull of the dark magic trying to enter her body, but she kept her hands firmly placed against the glass, ignoring the ache in her own body. Beside her, she could hear Lizzie and Penelope struggling to do the same. Inside the hourglass, the smoky blackness was starting to fade away, fluctuating slightly in color as more of the dark energy fought to overtake their own magic. Lizzie was the first to tap out, breathing heavily as sweat dripped down her face. Hope waited for as long as she could, but even she had to stop once her body felt too weak to continue. This left Penelope and Kassie, both pale with exhaustion and still going strong. Ignoring all of Hope's warnings, neither girl was going to back down until they had completed what they had set out to do. 

Lizzie was the person to catch Penelope once she eventually passed out, narrowly avoiding the young witch from smacking her head against the cement floor. This left only Kassie- so pale that she looked sickly, sweating profusely, and still keeping her grip on the hourglass strong. Inside the hourglass, a smokey gray cloud remained. Their plan had worked somewhat: for the most part, they had dispelled the dark energy. "Kassie, let go.", Hope warned. "We did what we needed to do. We saved Josie." "It's still in there. I can feel it pulsing against my hands.", Kassie admitted, straining to breathe. "I'm not letting it go back into Josie- or Penelope." "Kassie think about what you're doing!", Hope exclaimed. "You're going to kill yourself like this. Please, let go." "No. I know...what I'm doing.", Kassie slurred, her hands shaking against the glass. "Tell Pen...I love her...." Kassie's eyes closed, and the last of the gray residue faded away as her cold and lifeless body tumbled to the ground.  
\------------------------------------------------------  
"How are you feeling?", Hope asked, handing the Raven haired girl beside her a warm mug. Penelope shrugged, taking a sip from the mug gratefully. "I feel light-headed but other than that I think I'm good. How's Josie? Did she wake up yet?" Hope shook her head reluctantly. "Still passed out- I checked on her on the way to my room." Hope settled in beside Penelope, pulling the covers over both of them. "Lizzie refuses to leave her side, which is understandable. I made her promise she'd text me of Josie woke up, though." Penelope swallowed hard, putting the mug down on Hope's nightstand. "What did they do with Kassie?", She asked mournfully. "Where did they put her?" "Alaric took her to a place that won't ask questions. They're going to put her to proper rest, though." "That won't matter to her mother or the three little boys that lost their big sister.", Penelope mumbled, putting her head in her hands. "I took someone's daughter away from them, Hope. I took away someone's sister." "Kassie made her own choice, Pen.", Hope said, attempting to ease some of Penelope's guilt. "I told her that she was taking a risk. She didn't care- she just wanted to make sure you would be okay." "She was a good person; one of the best I've ever met.", Penelope explained with a frown. "Before we began, she told me she promised to do whatever it took to protect me and Josie." Penelope chuckles, but it was void of any emotion at all. "I guess in the end she kept her promise." 

"You don't have to make that phone call, Pen.", Hope offered, seeing how torn up the girl was. "I can do it; I'm used to giving bad news." "No, I'm going to tell her mom in person. It's the least she deserves." Hope was quiet for a moment, fiddling with the blanket on their lap. "I guess this means you're not here to stay, huh?", She asked, and Penelope answered her question with silence. "Is there any way that we can somehow convince you to stay? Even just for Josie's sake?" Again, she was met with silence. Hope sighed. "Yeah, that's what I thought.", She said sadly. "I understand- you built a life over there. You have new friends, a new school, and a new normal." Hope put her hand over Penelope's, squeezing it gently. "Just remember that, if you ever want it, there's a place here for you too." For the first time in days, a smile spread across Penelope's face. "Thanks, Hope. I hope everyone else is as understanding as you." Hope laughed. 

"That's wishful thinking if I've ever heard of it."


	8. #BlackoutTuesday

On May 25, 2020 the nation watched in horror for nearly nine minutes as Officer Derek Chauvin ruthlessly killed George Floyd, a 41 year old black male. Chauvin kneeled on Floyd's neck with steady, heavy pressure as Floyd begged for his life. After nearly ten minutes, he died of asphyxiation. Some of his last words: "I can't breathe." This sparked a national outrage, leading to protests and riots all across the nation to combat a problem that has been plaguing America for way too long: police brutality. These past few days have been difficult. I have heard recounts from my friends after they were teargassed, beaten, and mocked by the police while peacefully protesting in the streets. They were shot at with rubber bullets. They were threatened to be arrested. Still, they fought on, and they are still fighting, because they know that this is a small portion of the violence that black individuals experience daily. If this disturbs you, it's because it should. What started as a movement to give Floyd and his family justice has evolved into the beginning of a new civil rights movement. This is not a "black" issue; It is a human rights issue. It is a war against racism and oppression in today's America. It is an outcry for justice and change. I will be damned if I keep my silence while my fellow brothers and sisters continued to suffer. This is not up for debate, or discussion; black lives matter, and they deserve to be fought for. I urge all of you to educate yourselves and make your voices heard. Amplify the voices of the unheard, and if you can please donate to organizations that support the BLM movement and that pay legal fees for protestors that have been wrongly arrested. Every amount helps. As for me, I will not be updating for the foreseeable future as I am doing everything I can to protect and inform the people around me, and also myself. I wish you all well and urge you to stay safe during this difficult time. ACAB. Black Lives Matter. No Justice, No Peace. - Katt

Here are some resources that you can donate to: 

Black Lives Matter   
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019

George Floyd Memorial Fund  
https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd

The Loveland Foundation:   
https://thelovelandfoundation.org/

Campaign Zero:  
https://www.joincampaignzero.org/

The NAACP’s Legal Defense and Educational Fund:  
https://org2.salsalabs.com/o/6857/p/salsa/donation/common/public/?donate_page_KEY=15780&_ga=2.231342234.480782673.1591028794-1029022299.1591028794

Community Bail Funds:  
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/bail_funds_george_floyd

The ACLU:  
https://action.aclu.org/give/fund-every-fight-ahead

Color of Change:   
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/blackpatients?ak_proof=1&akid=42394.5191726.pitPAa&amount=5&rd=1&recurring=1&refcode=stage1_nondonors_link1&refcode2=42394_5191726_pitPAa&t=3


	9. I think I owe you all an apology...

Hi, everyone. It's been a while since we talked. I'm very sorry about that. Once the pandemic hit, a lot of things went on the backburner- my writing included. I've been so majorly stressed out with family, Corona, and then the holidays that I haven't had the mental clarity to write anything. 2020 was rough. I moved out of my mother's house, started a whole new life in a new city, and learned a lot of lessons and met a lot of people along the way. Now i'm ready to say goodbye to 2020 and get back to doing what I love- creating stories to entertain all of you. Please bear with me as I sort myself out and get everything together for the near future. Updates will be slow and infrequent- as they've always been- but I promise to put the very best of myself into every chapter, every paragraph, and every line. I'm glad to be back, and I hope you join me in this new and exciting chapter of my life. 

Love Always, Iries.


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